2002-2003 PRACTICE MATERIALS
New Jersey Department of Education
HSPA/SRA LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY
Performance Assessment Task (PAT)

Please call Miza Fletcher (609-633-7180) in the Office of Assessment and Research. She will fax a copy of the passage to you. Please note that we are not able to post the passage on the Internet. Text # SRA-P-031.

The central idea of the essay is that changes in school starting times can have an impact on students' time at school and at home, both positively and negatively. Restate the central idea in your own words. Explain how the author's argument supports that idea in the essay. Use specific information from the essay to support your response. Identify three reasons the author gives that teenagers are often prevented from obtaining sufficient sleep. Explain her view on how teenage students' schedules may interfere with their sleep patterns. Use specific information from the essay to support your response. The starting time of school can affect academic performance and student behavior. Identify two reasons, according to the author, a later starting time may lead to improvement in academic performance. Explain Donahoo's position on how a later starting time reduces behavioral problems in the classroom. Use specific information from the essay to support your response. Materials/Resources: Access to a word processor or computer, if desired. Tape recorder or camcorder if student makes an oral presentation Techniques for PAT Scoring: See Reading Item-Specific Rubric for this PAT.